This technique produced an architectural feature of evenly spaced holes throughout the exterior. The ties remained in the concrete when the molds were removed. The concrete was poured into reusable steel forms separated by metal ties. While contrasting with the traditional marble, granite, or limestone government buildings, it echoed a major architectural style of the 1960s. The concrete used for the FBI building contained an aggregate of crushed dolomite limestone, a unique composition. Height limits of 107 feet (seven stories) along Pennsylvania Avenue and 160 feet (eleven stories) along E Street conformed to the Pennsylvania Avenue Advisory Council and District of Columbia requirements.įor reasons of economy, the approving agencies insisted upon poured concrete as the major outside building material. The approved plan consisted of 2,800,876 square feet of space for 7,090 employees. On October 7, 1964, the National Capital Planning Commission approved the major design concept with its security modifications. The main part of the building, facing E Street, retained the idea of a central core of files. Also for security reasons, no stores were included on the first floor. Recessed panels along the ground floor were spaced to give the illusion of two-story columns, thus producing an arcade-like facade. The building has an open mezzanine and courtyard, but access to the courtyard is limited, and most of the first floor is closed to facilitate security. The final FBI building design incorporated many features of the 1964 Pennsylvania Avenue proposal, with modifications primarily governed by security considerations. Therefore, the Pennsylvania Avenue Advisory Council urged GSA to redesign the building to conform to the plan. The FBI building would be the first government structure to be built on the avenue’s north side. Because major parades marched down the avenue, all new buildings would have open second floors to accommodate spectators. The Council envisioned a rejuvenated Pennsylvania Avenue, its north side lined with shops and buildings with open arcades and courtyards. The Pennsylvania Avenue Advisory Council revealed its grand design for Pennsylvania Avenue in April 1964. It incorporated the Bureau’s request for a central core of files surrounded by offices. Murphy and Associates was a traditional box-like structure. The original design prepared in 1963 by Charles F. GSA purchased the land at a of cost $41.17 per square foot. On January 2, 1963, GSA announced the approval of the site for the FBI building bounded by Pennsylvania Avenue and E Street and Ninth and Tenth Streets, Northwest. The Bureau, however, allocated the interior space. Although all conferences between GSA and the architects were open to Bureau representatives and GSA sought FBI opinion, neither the FBI nor the Department of Justice had to approve the exterior design. The National Capital Planning Commission approved the site the building design required approval from the National Capital Planning Commission, GSA, the Commission on Fine Arts, and the Pennsylvania Avenue Advisory Council. Murphy and Associates of Chicago, Illinois as architects, and Berswenger, Hoch, Arnold and Associates of Akron, Ohio for engineering. At that time, the total estimated cost was $60 million. The General Services Administration (GSA), which handles public building construction, allocated $12,265,000 for architectural and engineering design. The next serious request to Congress for a separate building was not made until 1961.Ĭongress approved a separate FBI building in April 1962. Although the Public Buildings Agency initiated plans for an FBI building in 1941, America’s entry into World War II required postponing all government building projects. The first request for a separate FBI building occurred in 1939. From its inception in 1908 until 1975, the main offices of the FBI were housed in the Department of Justice building.
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